sznsido wrote: »

down 3.1. I have been eating my own lunches as opposed to the ns meals. I 'm wondering if that may have something to do with the large number...less sodium in my own lunch. Time will tell...I have bars and frozen items coming next shipment. Way to go everyone!

dottiemaystrong wrote: »

I didn't gain. :-)

mikemusky44 wrote: »

OK - Full disclosure. This was a good "practice for maintenance" week. Without getting too deep into exactly what I ate/drank, we had a lot going on this past week. Last Friday, we went to see a band and Swati and I made a stop at our favorite Irish pub afterwards. Granted that was before last week's weigh-in but it was the start of a string of days I was not on program. Next came Mother's Day. The day after Mother's day. I took my mom out for her birthday at Red Lobster. Tuesday, I fell off the wagon entirely and last night we had a "men's night" out with my Dad, brother-in-law, son and nephews. Before going to a WWE match, we went to one of my favorite Italian restaurants.

So how did I do? Unbelievably, I am down 0.6 lbs! And I am officially down 1/2 foot in my waist since starting NS (sounds so much better than 6").

Let me say that I need to do a lot better - at least until I get to my goal in another 18 lbs at which point I will need to focus on maintaining my weight rather than losing. That being said, I actually have been doing better. Looking back, Swati and I hit the dance floor after that dinner at the Irish Pub. On Mother's day, I had sugar free syrup with my pancakes. At lunch with my Mom, I ordered off the lunch menu rather than the Admiral's Feast I would have ordered in the past. After Tuesday's slide, I decided to up my workouts and added an extra 1 1/2 hours of cardio to my program this week. Last night at the family style Italian restaurant, I had only one ravioli and stuck with the proteins (chicken and veal cutlets and meatballs). We also walked from the restaurant to the wrestling event (at least a mile each way). So essentially, my lifestyle has already changed.

Today, we have a benefit for a friend's son and her mom and dad do all the cooking. Her mom is an incredible southern cook and I will need to be careful with my choices (but we'll save that one for next week's results). Fortunately, we do not have any other events planned for the foreseeable future and I will be able to get right back on track. Life is good!

I hope everyone else is seeing continued success. Have a Great Sunday!

- Michael

mikemusky44 wrote: »

Suzi and Flo - I am trying to lose weight and you are giving me a big head! Seriously though, I feel like I've been pretty successful so far and hope sharing my experiences can help others. I've also grown quite a bit over the past three months and the advice I give today is somewhat different from the advice I would have given after the first month.

I've seen numerous posts that talk about sticking to the program 100% and those members that are writing those posts are seeing great success (30, 40, 50, 60 lbs and more). No question they are great role models and following their example should end in great results. But we are not all the same and even those following the program 100% and seeing great success have struggled with their weight in the past otherwise they would not have needed NS to begin with.

We see the success stories but how many of the 200+ members in this group are struggling and we never hear about it? How many would like to share but are embarrassed to do so? And how many of those people would benefit from sharing their experiences and getting feedback and support from other members that are seeing success?

Would I recommend somebody new to NS follow my example from the past week? Not at all. I am in a different place having already lost 32 lbs and well on my way to my goal. Do I think someone that has been following the program for a while but suffered a setback should get down on themselves? Absolutely not. I firmly believe negativity breeds failure and if you start getting negative about the program (or your performance on the program) you will decrease your chances at long term success. Again, this is a lifestyle change and not a quick fix and we all need to think about it that way.

Years ago, I would have been very upset with myself for not sticking to the program 100%. My failure to stick to the program would have led me to get further away from it. I would have probably regained any losses I had achieved and then some. Most of us have been there at one time or another. But today I am a different person and I focus on all the successes instead. Whether it is eating less, making healthier choices, being aware of what I am putting in my body and how it will affect me or exercising regularly, my life and health have changed dramatically over the past three months. I do not overlook my shortcomings but instead reflect on them to improve going forward. I do set short and long term goals and have been fortunate enough to meet them all so far. In my opinion, having goals and working towards them is important but it is not the end of the world if you come up a little bit short - especially if you are seeing success in other areas. If we all stay positive and keep moving forward, we'll all be successful.

Nightingale2200 wrote: »

THANK YOU, Mary. I am SOOOO excited. No way on earth I could have done this w/o all of the support here.

Flo - I am SOOOO excited for you! Congrats!